The Man Who Found His Ghost

to escape a husba

y kidney and my life force

until he showed up at my ani

me feel small, culminating in a publi

lot against his life that only my

van

nt wedding ring in a fiery bus cras

pposed to

ng for ghosts, consumed by a

st, I looked him in the eye and told him I

leave and ne

into my sanctuary to hurt my a

nt of a knife to save a

re to hate is blee

cide if I' m goi

pte

iya

he moment his voice, sharp and laced with disdain, cut through the clamor of the Holland Gala. My heart hammered, a f

g with a raw, public fury that was all directed at me. Tonight was supposed to be the celeb

ntract. Not a marriage." He glanced at me, his gaze sweeping over my carefully chosen gown lik

came to me. The shame was a physical weight, pressing down on my chest. It felt exactly like it had

liated me, solidifying my place as the unwanted tether to his empire. But this time, something was different. This time, I knew the cost of staying. I knew the

Moon Goddess's decree, the grandfathers' wills. It all amounted to th

hand raised. "Hudson, control yourself. This union was decreed for

father. And I despise the bars, and the one who chose to lock me in." His eyes,

of the crowd, her gaze fixed on Hudson with a fragile longing. She looked paler than usual, her illness already taking its toll, though

he meek, heartbroken wife who swallowed every insult. I

er me. It felt cold, surgical. My voice, whe

right,

faltered. The

l pond, "was a mistake. A transactional obligation." I straightened,

n warring with his anger. "

ng about a

e, filled the vacuum. Hudson stared at me, his jaw slack. He looked gen

lips. "And what makes you think you can just walk away fro

ht call it. I will initiate the divorce proceedings immediately. And as for Holland Enterprises..." I paused, my gaze sweeping pas

tion of Holland Enterprises, gifted to Adaline? It was the "Alliance Blessing"

ef. "You... you can't be serious. G

ntend to carry any longer." I looked at Adaline, whose eyes were wide with shock, a glimmer of something I couldn't quite d

hive of speculation. This was not

, his voice low and dangerous. "You think you can just walt

my stomach tied itself in knots. "Freedom. And I'm giving Adaline the security she needs. Yo

ng unreadable there before it was repl

he flicker of the corporate assassination plot in my mind, the vision of Hudson's inevitable

s throat. "A divorce of this magnitude, Jamiya, requires c

, my gaze still fixed on Hudson. "B

. Do what you want. You always do." He strode towards the exit, his expe

for connection I immediately recoiled from. But a d

my voice cutting through

ble doors, his back

imp, that sometimes wanders near the east wing of the estate. No one ever seems to feed

inally turned his head slightly, just enough for me to see the confusion et

asked, his

l thing. My

eyes-pity? Annoyance? I couldn't tell. Then, with a curt nod t

y's private physician, a kind-faced man with perpetually weary eyes, approached me, a gentle

red, his voice barely a whisper. His wisdom, like

not afford. Now, it's a burden I refuse to carry." The words were true, yet they f

pleased. Everyone wants this r

few other... arrangements, if you decide to proceed with your other plans." His eyes h

the cool leather. Around me, the whispers start

was too so

her fortune?

deserved her anyway, but sh

into a dull roar. Back in my lavish suite, I locked the door, the silence an almost physical presence. I t

s for anonymous organ donation. The Life Source ritual. It was the only way to truly sever all ties, to ensure

th haunted eyes. "Jamiya Morrow," I whispered, touching the cool glas

small bag, a worn leather satchel I hadn't touched in years. A few essentials, enough ca

ip-a tiny, physical reminder of a past accident. It felt like a pr

murmured, my voice breaking o